Desert Arroyo Park opens in Mesa

Children walking along nature paths at the new Desert Arroyo Park can carry tablets to access the Internet on free Wi-Fi while learning about the environment.

The 58-acre park is on the northeast corner of Ellsworth and McKellips roads adjacent to Zaharis Elementary School, 9410 E. McKellips Road. Students helped seed a botanical garden at the park and participated in plans for its design, officials said.

“A big thank you to the city of Mesa with the entire staff for including us in on the design of the coolest park ever,” Mike Oliver, Zaharis Elementary principal, said before a Sept. 9 ribbon-cutting ceremony at the park. “We feel that this $3 million park that sits rights at our front doorstep belongs to us. We know others are going to use it, but wow; our kids were involved every step of the way and it’s been such an exciting adventure to see it develop,” he said.

“We’re going to use it in creative and imaginative ways, aren’t we boys and girls and teachers?” he asked a crowd of children and adults.

Funding for the $1.85 million construction of the park came from parks and recreation bonds approved by Mesa voters in 2012, with additional grant support from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Scotts Miracle Gro Company, according to a press release. Desert Arroyo Park was designed by Logan Simpson Design and constructed by Haydon Construction, according to the release.

“It’s appropriate that all of you are out here today because about a year and a half ago we started this project with you and a group of students came together and helped us put together some design principles together,” Marc Heirshberg, Mesa parks, recreation and commercial facilities director, said before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “We want you to enjoy this park. We want you to use it as an educational tool as well as an opportunity to play and learn about the Arizona wildlife and your role in helping protect the environment as we did when we built this park by saving 150 trees and more than 115 saguaros, cactus, barrel cactus and ocotillos throughout this process.”

The park has five educational nodes, each with ramadas and picnic areas, according to the release. They are:

Arroyo Node with a playground and desert wash water feature.

Arthropodal Node with analemmatic sundial and outdoor classroom.

Mammalian Node with crawling tubes and animal footprints.

Avian Node with a telescope and chimes.

Reptilian Node with a reptile digging sand pit.

Discovery guides are available on the city’s Desert Arroyo Park webpage at www.mesaaz.gov/parksrec. Park patrons can also bring pencil and paper to do rubbings from educational signs, according to the release.

The park also offers walking paths and trails for hikers and non-motorized bikers:

a .25-mile botanical walk with plant interpretative signs.

a .25-mile paved discovery loop connecting the educational nodes.

a .75-mile explorers path, multiuse for hikers and non-motorized bikers.

“The park will open many possibilities for learners. Students from all over – many who are future scientists, engineers, mathematicians – will be able to connect their ideas to a park that has learning nodes specific to that purpose,” Mesa Councilman David Luna, District 5, said. “The free public Wi-Fi access throughout the park will enable students to conduct on-the-site research. Isn’t that cool? You’ll be able to bring your iPads and learn and just research what you’re studying.”
“Many years ago your parents or other friends told the city in the late-1990s that this was a special place and the city needed to make extra effort to protect native plants, to protect native wildlife here. We worked hard to pass ordinances to protect that from building to acquire properties to preserve and to use and to showcase for the community,” Mesa Vice Mayor Dennis Kavanaugh said. “This is going to be a great place for families to get together and learn and exercise and really is one of the most innovative parks in America.”

Desert Arroyo Park is open from sunrise to sunset. The park entrance can be found off of the Zaharis Elementary School entry drive.

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